@Mario
Fortunately, pay-go is making a comeback and should make at least fiscal conservatives happy. Neither party has the corner on spending anymore. Unfortunately, the Republican party no longer represents the people who would have otherwise identified themselves as Republican. They do, however represent the evangelical segment of the population.
Neither party represents the atheist or the non-theist population and the the court system (at least for now) has said that "In God We Trust" has been copied so many times, that it no longer carries a religious context. I would then ask, "So then the Bible no longer carries a religious context either for the same reason?". So we know that the courts don't really protect us either. Those who claim to be "strict constructionists" also turn out to say that we are a Christian nation. If they were telling the truth about their constitutional stance, they would support purely secular policies.

As an ignorant Brit I just don't understand how one man can change the law ... how come there ISN'T one standard of citizenship and how can interpretation of the bible affect the law of a land where there is supposed to be separation of church n state?

Fancy Nancy - To me there is not separation of church and state in the USA, churches are tax exempt, in WV you cant buy liquor on Sunday and you have to wait until after 1:00 pm to buy beer on Sunday, I don't drink but if I want one I should be able to have a drink regardless of the time or date... I have seen a lot of the laws and decisions in the us made because of this being a "Christian Nation", even though it plainly says otherwise in the US Constitution!! So this act of stupidity is often embraced in the USA because the overwhelming amount of people who believe in a talking snake in a tree.